Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

West Georgia Technical College’s (WGTC) Computer Information Systems (CIST) program recently joined forces with Southwire’s IT Department to host the inaugural “Computer Science Innovators Challenge.”

Held at WGTC’s Carroll campus, the event aimed to foster creativity and innovation among participants, regardless of their skill level. Attendees were tasked with developing original projects within a limited timeframe, offering solutions to unfamiliar concepts.

“Students demonstrated skills, performing and problem-solving on the spot to impress potential employers like Southwire,” said CIST Program Chair Tara Shackleford. “This exposure could lead to internships and future career prospects.”

Three teams presented projects at the event and each team walked away with Visa gift cards ranging from $50 – $150.

First Place: “Know Your Power” designed by Glenn Freeman, Kristy Bishop, and Christian Putman. The team created a power consumption calculator in natural language that is designed to understand the power draw of appliances.

Second Place: “Streamline, Simplify, Scale (Waybridge SAP/ER)” designed by John Paschal and Taylor Lowery. This program was designed to automate the scaling process to help with transportation and direct trucks and trailers. It is used to bridge the analog process of measuring items. The team presented security aspects of scanning the driver and the load to make sure that there were no issues. This project will be presented to the Southwire IT team to determine if they can implement it.

Third Place: “The Future of City Exploration” designed by Robert Galan and Kevin Keeler. This program was designed as a traveling tool that uses AI to guide users and give historical data and fun facts when traveling.

For more information on WGTC’s CIST programs contact Tara Shackleford at tara.shackleford@westgatech.edu or visit www.westgatech.edu.